This Is What Ignorance Looks Like

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cn...-llano-county-library-banned-books/index.html


In Llano County, Texas, 7 citizens sued the library system, for its removal of a dozen books from the shelves of its childrens' library. These included books about race, including one on the Klu Klux Klan, about LGBTQ issues, and a few on farts. A judge has ordered those books put back on the shelves until the civil suit is settled, in the fall. The reaction of a good number of the community, is that they would rather close the county's 3 libraries, entirely, than see those books go back. So this Thursday, that will be the first agenda item, at the County Commissioners meeting.


<Snip>
(CNN)A rural Texas county that was ordered by a federal judge to return banned books to its public library shelves is now considering shutting down its libraries entirely.

A meeting of the Commissioners Court of Llano County on Thursday will include discussion of whether to "continue or cease operations of the current physical Llano County library system pending further guidance from the Federal Courts," according to the meeting agenda.
...

Seven residents had sued county officials in April 2022, claiming their First and 14th Amendment rights were violated when books deemed inappropriate by some people in the community and Republican lawmakers were removed from public libraries or access was restricted.

According to the lawsuit, the county commissioners kicked out the members of the library board in 2021 and replaced them with a new board that demanded review of the content of all its books. That led to several books being removed from its catalog access being cut off to an e-book service that included some of the disputed titles.

The defendants argued the books were removed as part of a regular "weeding" process following the library's existing policies.
<End Snip>


So don't be taken in by Republican modesty, when they try to tell you that it is the Left, who are the masters of censorship. Nor should we be fooled by the mere claims, echoed about, that it is on the Right, where we find the true supporters of freedom of speech. As the judge's order had noted, "the First Amendment prohibits the removal of books from libraries based on either viewpoint or content discrimination."

The idea that there was anything "pornographic" about the materials, is flatly denied, by those bringing the suit.

If the libraries close, the nearest would be in the Texas Capitol of Austin, 80 miles away.


<Snip>
The Commissioners Court agenda item for the upcoming meeting does not include a reason for the possible closure of the library. What it does say is that the discussion is "regarding the continued employment and/or status of the Llano County Library System employees and the feasibility of the use of the library premises by the public."

"It appears that the defendants would rather shut down the Library System entirely — depriving thousands of Llano county residents of access to books, learning resources, and meeting space — than make the banned books available to residents who want to read them," Ellen Leonida, the attorney for plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement to CNN.

 

Ignorance is never improved by shutting libraries.

 

I googled “Books on Farts” looking for what might have been those they were banning - I screen shot the results and I SWEAR I did not alter the shot


The sixth title along is the “The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump”

You cannot make this stuff up!

I wonder if it was one of the “fart” books banned?

 

An example, perhaps, of the contrast in rural and city societies in the United States of America. A difference in worldview.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

 

What about that kid sitting down....




......lolz!

 

That is pretty funny. I guess I can see a relation, in subject matter. I looked into it and, as I'd suspected, these "poems" had been collected by someone else, put together from Trump quotes. Here is the audio book. The poems start at about the 7:15 mark, or so (slide the red ball to above about the end part of the little speaker icon). The first one is "A beautiful, Simple Life," which I have written, below.






A Beautiful, Simple Life

Beautiful bikes,
beautiful aircraft carriers,
beautiful coal,
beautiful lie by Crooked Hillary.

Beautiful hats, beautiful women,
beautiful tanks, beautiful Humvees.

Beautiful copper piping,
beautiful auto plant,
beautiful Marines.

I've never seen scissors
that looked this beautiful, before.

 

Move those books to an area out of the children's section. Still available if parents desire it's appropriate for their kids, but children don't have easy access to them.

Will the left support that? A parents right to guard their children from what they perceive to be harmful or non-age appropriate material?

Of course not. Because this isn't about censorship or the children, or the books, it's about the left's desire to take ownership of child raising from the parents. It's about control.

It's why the left wants complete control of the education system, reproductive rights, opposition to parental support for transitioning
...

It's all about control. They know what's better for your kids than you do.

 

The left isn't shutting down libraries, the right is.

 

If you'd read the OP, you would have seen that I had quoted the judge, writing, "the First Amendment prohibits the removal of books from libraries based on either viewpoint or content discrimination." That is what this is about. The rest of the community does not have to hide away books, because they are not in accord with the most book-censoring parents' sensibilities. That is the case you are making: that everything that not everyone is perfectly approving of, should be restricted access. That is not how a free society works. To the contrary, rather than the most restrictive voice, setting the bar (of what is easily accessible), it is what the majority finds inappropriate, which is not on public display.

You have it completely backward: it is not society's job to support your individual parenting philosophy, that your child should be "guarded" from certain ideas, which the majority feel are appropriate. No one is taking away a parent's right to tell their kids not to look at such material. There is nothing compelling their kids, from reading, for example, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson; or "They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; or "Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen" by Jazz Jennings." The parent who does not want their kid reading that, I guess should pay attention to the books their kids check out of the library. If they don't trust their kids, to not read prohibited material while in the library, then it is on them to go with their kids, and monitor them. We don't have to restrict peanuts, because you are allergic to peanuts; the responsibility for watching out for them, is yours, not society's.

Some other parents, may want their children to have ready access to any material, generally regarded as age-appropriate. Why defer to the parents who want less material, in the open public collection, over those who want more? You also have reversed, who it is, trying to exert "control." I think it is a near certainty that the more one opposes having material in a library's collection, the less that person is apt to actually use library services.

 

Google, youtube, the apple app store, FB, Twitter... It's like you don't even try to hide it.

The better question is who goes to libraries at all anymore? They might as well be museums. In the advent of the internet, books don't seem to hold much value anymore. I'm not saying get rid of them, mind you, but if you are a small town, like Llano, trying to find the funds to pay for a set of libraries doesn't seem like the most effective use of money given their struggle to remain a town in the first place.

But, that is life these days in the TX hill country. When almost all of your revenue comes from transient tourism, it's hard to see what options the town has. There is an excellent BBQ place in town though.

Well worth the drive, and on the way to Fredericksburg.... http://www.coopersbbqllano.com/

 

Yes because books like this

are so damaging to kids

 

Ah yes, because you have deemed libraries irrelevant then it doesn’t matter that the fascist right have moved to modern day book burning.

Makes sense

And I don’t know about your area but out five local libraries serve the community with more than just books. Our university library alone stays fairly busy and city and private libraries provide internet access, a safe environment to educate yourself, use research databases, get help from a librarian, attend classes and lectures.

But Republicans have deemed books irrelevant, maybe y’all need to spend some time in one.

 

Republicans do not even try to hide it anymore

 

what happens when these children search for the last first lady on the web?

 

I don't agree with this for a public library but you trying to use this incident to try to paint the entire right is a pretty pathetic stretch.

I do support removing indoctrinating books from school curriculum though.

 

Republicans would be better served learning what books are banned by library. No headlines when they turn away books.

 

Have been to Llano, Texas, which is the county seat of said county. It has some excellent geography, hunting for deer if you are into hunting, some great fishing, and some state historical sites. But with the current state of the GOP in the state of Texas, this does not suprise me. They were overruled by the third branch of government, and now want to punish everyone because they can't have their way. And it really does not make sense to shut down the libraries given that over 75% of the county residents are basically registered republicans due to its farm and ranching histories. I hope the Commissioners Court does not shut down the libraries, but it also shows the sad state the state GOP is having with this issue.

 

They might see that Michael has a big penis.

 

Why not adult magazines and unrestricted "don't ask, don't tell" for kids.
Children should be shielded from the ills of society instead of being presumed to be a "sexual player" as a adolescent or pre-adolescent.

 

Anybody want to ban To kill a Mocking Bird and Huckleberry Finn?

Seems to me the leftists had those on the burn list.

 

If the GOP can succeed in banning books in school districts, then they can succeed in banning books at libraries, from mail-order sales, or even outright sales altogether. Greed knows no boundaries.

the problem is are books indoctrinating people when the only issue is whether or not the book is teaching history, or science, or whatever subject. Or is the conservative viewpoint the only way to teach the myth of history and not true history at all?

 

Oh hell no. Not even the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird.

 

Yes that must be it.... You've got it figured out perfectly well....* Roll eyes.


The party that founded the KKK and then tries to erase that history and blame it on their political opponents....

 

All kinds of people in the world.
Our country lets people voice their opinions. Protest or lawsuits.
It's local, so let them sort it out.
Society changes all the time. But faster than gov't does.
It will be sorted out, eventually.

 

Not much.